WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – E.J. Doskow hit a 400-plus-foot home run for the second consecutive night, and Ty Hill smashed his first Major League Baseball Draft League homer, but the Williamsport Crosscutters topped the State College Spikes, 9-4, on Friday night at Muncy Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field.
Doskow, who recently completed his senior season at Valdosta State University in Georgia, followed a home run estimated at 410 or more feet on Thursday with a laser precisely tracked at 408 feet over the left field wall in Williamsport on Friday. The Miami native’s solo shot came on an 0-1 pitch from Crosscutters (5-3) reliever Nick Palumbo (1-0) to start the fourth inning.
Hill had already taken Williamsport starter Easton Sikorski deep in the third on an 0-2 pitch to crack the home run column. The Jackson State University product, who joined the Spikes (1-7) earlier this week, is reaching base at a .467 clip over his first three games.
State College finished its scoring when Lyndon Weaver took first base on a walk in the eighth, then stole second and scored on Lukas Cook’s two-out single.
Williamsport took advantage of Spikes miscues to score in each of the first six innings. Jordan Schaffer notched three RBI for the Crosscutters via a single, a groundout and a bases-loaded walk. Jack O’Reilly added two stolen bases as well.
Kevin Karstetter went 2-for-5 at the plate for State College to raise his average for the season’s first week to .345.
Spikes starter Toine Harris (0-1) took the loss on the mound after yielding three runs on two hits, three walks and a hit batsman over three innings. The right-hander recorded two strikeouts.
Palumbo received credit for the win. The Williamsport righty allowed one run on Doskow’s homer and two hits total, striking out one batter in his lone inning of work.
Saturday, the Spikes and Crosscutters shift the location of their three-game series to Medlar Field at Lubrano Park for the middle matchup of the set. The 6:35 p.m. game will feature right-hander Brock Blatter (0-0), who is committed to the University of Alabama for his collegiate career, on the mound for State College against Williamsport right-hander Jack Parisi (0-0).
Fans will enjoy a big night at the ballpark as FIREWORKS light up the skies after the game and Sean Clifford makes a special appearance. Happy Valley’s QB1 will sign autographs, meet and greet fans and throw out the ceremonial first pitch for the game.
Plus, it’s a Salute to the Outdoors at the ballpark on the first Super Saturday of the season presented by the PA Lottery and B94.5. Fans will have lots of chances to win great Spikes prizes throughout the night, including the return of Baseball Bingo, with bingo cards available as fans enter the ballpark and the numbers determined by results of on-field action. The first ten fans to make Baseball Bingo will win a Spikes Prize Pack and be entered to win the Baseball Bingo Ultimate Prize Pack at the last Saturday home game of the year on September 2.
The postgame fun also includes another installment of Kids Run the Bases Home Run Edition presented by Mount Nittany Health, where kids 12 and under can run the bases from home to home just like their favorite Spikes after a home run.
Tickets for Saturday’s game, as well as every game on the Spikes’ biggest regular season home schedule in franchise history, are available now. Tickets can be purchased by calling (814) 272-1711 or by visiting the Spikes Ticket Office in person from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Fans can also buy and download single-game tickets, and view the full 2022 promotional schedule, by visiting StateCollegeSpikes.com.
More ticket packages, including Flex Books and an array of group and hospitality options for the 2022 season, are currently on sale by calling the Spikes at (814) 272-1711. Additional information on all club ticketing options, as well as team news and schedule info, can be viewed at StateCollegeSpikes.com.
Catch all of the action on Saturday via the Spikes Radio Network presented by Penn State Sports Medicine, Official Healthcare Provider of Penn State Athletics, with Steve Jones and Joe Putnam on the call. The broadcast starts with Spikes Live presented by Mount Nittany Health, on the air from Medlar Field at Lubrano Park at 6:10 p.m. The game can be viewed worldwide on the MLB Draft League streaming platform at MLBDraftLeague.com/streaming, along with the “Listen Live” link on StateCollegeSpikes.com and the TuneIn Radio app.
